Key points
- Voting for Senate elections scheduled to be held on July 21
- Electoral body says delay in oath taking would prevent it from holding Senate polls
- ECP has reserved verdict on plea seeking redistribution of reserved seats
ISLAMABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governor has urged the KP chief minister to immediately summon a session of the provincial assembly to administer oath to the “returned candidates against reserved seats for women and non-Muslims”.
With Senate elections in KP less than a week away, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had written to the province’s governor and chief minister, asking that the provincial assembly be convened immediately so that new members can be sworn in on reserved seats.
In a letter, addressed to the KP chief minister’s principal secretary, the governor’s office said, “In accordance with Rules 36(1) (a) read with Schedule-V of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Rules of Business 1985 the case for summoning of provincial assembly is required to be submitted to the Hon’ble Governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through the Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
“Necessary measures”
The letter further read, “It is, therefore, requested that necessary measures may be taken so as to summon session of the Provincial Assembly under Article 109 (a) of the Constitution immediately, in order to ensure compliance of the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan as well as of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan in letter and spirit.”
On Monday, the ECP reserved its verdict in a case related to the reallocation of reserved seats in the KP Assembly.
Senate elections
The letter, addressed to the KP governor’s principal secretary, stated that the commission was obligated to conduct Senate elections in the province, which had been set for July 21.
“But the matter of administration of oath is still pending and delayed,” it said.
The correspondence noted that the KP Assembly speaker was requested to administer the oath to the newly returned candidates, enabling them to complete the electoral college for Senate elections.
In response, the speaker has conveyed that the oath will be administered when the assembly is in session, according to Dawn.
